Today’s update discusses:

• decrease in reported cases
• increase in PPE availability
• state receiving another shipment of remdesivir
• proposal to shield health care workers from liability during the pandemic

HEALTH

• The number of new COVID-19 cases has declined over the past few days. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported fewer than 200 cases each day the past week, except on Saturday. Additionally, statewide the positivity rate is 7.5%, which also appears to be dropping continuously. Despite the St. Louis area being hit hard with COVID-19 cases and deaths, the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force has also reported improving numbers in the area’s hospitals.

RESOURCES

• Missouri officials have been increasing access to personal protective equipment in the state as PPE availability is an essential pillar of Governor Parson’s Show Me Strong Recovery Plan. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has implemented a webpage “dedicated as a one-stop shop for all information related to PPE.” Healthcare providers can access PPE, make requests from various suppliers for guidance on PPE use, and learn how to maintain the PPE supply for the duration of the pandemic.
• Missouri officials announced an increased amount of the experimental drug remdesivir was received this week. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has been working with the Missouri Hospital Association to determine deployment plans for the drug and immediately shipped the vials to 33 hospitals, with help from the state’s MO DMAT-1, Missouri National Guard, State Emergency Management Agency, and Missouri State Highway Patrol.

LEGISLATION

• Governor Parson has stated that he supports a legislative proposal (Senate Bill 662) that protects “health care providers who treat people with COVID-19 [from liability] for civil damages if something were to go wrong.” This provision would not only apply to long-term living facilities, but also to “all caregivers and first responders.” Governor Parson further stated, “the last thing we want is good people getting sued because they were trying to save people’s lives in unusual circumstances.”